Save billions by restructuring the Pentagon

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Hard to believe the Republicans insisted that Social Security benefit cuts be a part of any fiscal showdown agreement. And worse, the deal includes only $100 billion in cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget. The so-called Chained CPI adjustment, the terrible idea with the terrible name, would reduce benefits that America’s seniors rely on to survive. Social Security benefits average less than $15,000 a year and nearly 40 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for more than 90 percent of their income. Social Security benefits should be off the table because they don’t add a nickel to the deficit and there’s much more than $100 billion to cut from the Pentagon. Even though the United States spends more on its military than the next 19 countries combined, for far too long, it has been taboo to even suggest small and strategic cuts to the Pentagon budget. But we need to remember that how we spend our resources is just as important as how much we spend.

Instead of wasting billions on outdated Cold War-era weapons systems that even the military says it does not want, we can reshape our armed forces for the 21st century and use the savings to invest in programs that strengthen our economy, generate new jobs and meet the needs of our returning veterans.

In his parting address, President Eisenhower warned us against an entrenched military industrial complex — and he was right.Even though the war in Iraq is over, and the draw-down in Afghanistan continues, Pentagon contractor CEOs making up to $26 million a year are lobbying their friends in Washington to protect their exorbitant salaries and corporate profits, at the expense of middle-class and military families. Nearly one in five of our federal budget dollars are going to the Pentagon — that’s roughly $660 billion a year.

The Pentagon clearly has room to tighten its belt — it ended fiscal year 2012 with more than $105 billion in unobligated funds. Can you imagine if any other department of our government tried to get away with that?

As Congress looks to cut the federal budget, we could find billions in savings by restructuring the Pentagon instead of making draconian cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.

As we begin a new year, let’s make this a new era where we focus on people instead of more war, more killing and an assault weapon in every household.

JAIME McVICKARChester Springs

Politicians disconnectedAll that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.

Our justice system, police, military and self-defense are based on that one principle. The NRA’s statement that the “best thing to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun” is also based on that principle.

The disconnect of our politicians begs for term limits. They sign into law legislation they never read, burdening us with more taxes to come and now they are setting their sights on gun control.

Prohibition never worked and neither will their gun control bans. They are oblivious to the existence of the underground or black market and that criminals and psychos never obey their laws.

If these ambulance-chasing politicians were in office during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, they would immediately ban our planes, ships and bombs, believing it won’t happen again.